QuoteReplyTopic: First UK Case Since 2013 Posted: August 24 2018 at 1:28am

Patient diagnosed with first case of Mers virus in England since 2013

Health authorities are tracing people who were in close contact with Middle East resident

A person who was diagnosed with the first case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (Mers) in England since 2013 is said to be in a stable condition.

Public Health England (PHE) said the patient is a resident of the Middle East, where they are believed to have contracted the infection before travelling to the UK.

“While this is a serious infection for the individual, the risk of transmission to the general population from this case is very low,” a spokesman said.

He said the patient was initially admitted to a hospital in Leeds and then transferred to Liverpool hospital, an expert respiratory infectious disease centre, where they are stable and receiving appropriate treatment.

PHE said Mers-CoV (the virus that causes Mers) can be spread only when someone is in close contact with a patient over a sustained period of time, which means there is a very low risk to the general population of becoming ill.

As a precautionary measure, PHE experts are working closely with NHS colleagues to advise them on infection control measures and will be contacting people who might have been in close contact with the individual to monitor their symptoms and provide health advice.

This will include contacting passengers who travelled in close proximity to the patient on the same flight to the UK.

They said people without symptoms were not considered infectious but, as a precaution, those who have been in close proximity will be contacted and monitored to ensure that if they do become unwell they can be treated quickly.

Mers is a viral respiratory disease caused by a corona virus (Mers-CoV) that was first identified in Saudi Arabia in 2012.

It is the fifth case of Mers diagnosed in England, with previous cases diagnosed in 2012 and 2013.

Dr Jenny Harries, PHE’s deputy medical director, said it was following up with those who have had close and sustained contact with the patient to offer advice and to monitor them as necessary.

“It is important to emphasise that although a case has been identified, the overall risk of disease transmission to the public is very low. As we’ve seen in previous cases, we have well established and robust infection control procedures for dealing with cases of imported infectious disease and these will be strictly followed to minimise the risk of transmission,” said Harries.

With Haj ending Friday and millions of pilgrims heading home it's no real surprise to see it pop up here and there but unless there has been some change in the virus, making it easier to spread H2H or into other reservoirs ( not just camels but hogs, sheep,goats) i don't think this is anything to worry about. If it starts spreading outside of the mid-East, like it did in S. Korea again then we need to look out. When MERS first showed up I followed it fairly closely and many cases were nosocomial so good infection control can go along way in slowing it down! Also, stop kissing camels!!

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